Pray
by FiercestCalm
Summary: Formerly titled Go. Omi is kidnapped by Schwartz, and his time there may have far-reaching effects.
1. Pray

All lyrics are from Tina Cousin's "Pray". 

_And if you don't ask questions, you won't know why  
So say a prayer for the dying while there's still time. _

"Omi?" Ken called as he walked towards Omi's room. "Omi, we've got a mission." He frowned at Omi's door. There was no sound coming from behind it. Ken pounded on it, then tried the knob. It was locked. He pounded again.

"Come on, Omi! You're making everyone wait!" Ken waited a moment, and, hearing nothing, hit himself against the door. The locks in their house were fairly defective and gave under some pressure. He hit the door again and it flew open. Ken stumbled into the room. He looked around and spotted Omi. He was sitting at his computer, slumped over the keyboard. Ken shook his head and a small smile crept onto his face. 

"Maybe we do overwork you," he murmered. He shook Omi's shoulder. "Come on, wake up," He said louder. Omi didn't react. Ken shook both his shoulders a little harder and Omi fell back against the seat, facing Ken. Ken's eyes widened and he stumbled back a few steps.

"Omi!" He screamed, "Omi!"

Omi's eyes were open and his face was contorted into a look of pain and terror. A dagger was lodged in his chest. Blood covered the computer keyboard and the floor beneath it. Ken took a shuddering breath.

"Omi?" he asked, his voice breaking. He stepped towards the boy and ran a hand through his golden hair and down onto his neck. Ken choked back a sob and slid against the wall as he began to cry. 

After a moment he stood back up and stared at Omi. His gaze drifted downward towards the ugly dagger hilt protruding from his chest. He grasped it and drew it out of Omi gently. He sat it down beside the computer and looked back up at Omi's face. He placed his fingers on his eyelids and drew them down, holding them until they stayed. Still crying quietly, Ken kissed Omi's forehead and gently lifted him into his arms. He began to walk towards the others. 

Yohji sighed and leaned against the couch. 

"What's taking them so long?" He whined. Manx smiled.

"I'll go get them." She said, and left the room. A moment later they heard a thin wail. Yohji and Aya whipped around. Manx was slumped against the wall in the hallway, her eyes wide and hand over her mouth. Ken stood in the doorway, holding Omi.

"He's dead." Ken said quietly. 

"What?" Yohji gasped. Ken walked past him and lay Omi onto the couch. Aya walked up to him and kneeled beside him. He drew up Omi's shirt with suprising gentleness and ran his hands across the dagger wound. His eyes narrowed as he pulled the shirt back down.

"Who did this?" He asked Ken with a quiet fury. 

Ken shook his head. "I don't know." He said, looking down. "The dagger's in his room." Aya left the room. Ken turned. "Yohji?" he asked quietly. Yohji turned to look at him. Ken could see unshed tears in his eyes.

"Why?" Yohji asked almost inaudibly. He shifted his gaze down to Omi. "Why?" He said, beginning to raise his voice. "Why him? He was the youngest… he wasn't supposed to go first. We were supposed to… We were supposed to protect him! Why couldn't we protect him, Ken?" Yohji turned his back to Ken, but the younger man didn't miss the tears running down his friend's face. 

"Yohji…" Ken began, "there was no way we could've known…" But the argument sounded weak even to Ken. The room lapsed into silence and both men jumped when Aya returned to the room, holding the dagger.

"Schwarz." He said in a low voice. "Nagi."

Yohji turned around and there was fury in his eyes.

"He'll pay. They'll all pay."


	2. Hold Out Your Hands

_What a miracle is life  
The fields are high and fruit is ripe  
So hold out your hands  
Yeah, hold out your hands_

"Damnit!" Ken yelled, pounding his fist down beside the computer. "How did he do it?" he said in a softer voice. He heard the door open and close behind him, his eyes on the screen. 

"What have you found?" Aya asked him. Ken shook his head and looked at the computer screen with contempt.

"Absolutely nothing." he spat out. Aya pointed to a paragraph on the screen with a long finger. Ken leaned forward to re-read it.

…After the incompetence of the police was made 

evident in this situation, Takatori Reiji hired his

own personal bodyguards, five men formerly of a 

foreign police service. Although they are all foreign

but one, Takatori assures the public that the men are

as loyal to Japan as he is.

Ken looked back up at Aya.

"What about it?" he asked. "I know it's Schwarz, but I don't see how that can help us…"

"They probably won't be living in the foreign side of town. It's too obvious. They're probably somewhere near Takatori. We've just got to narrow the city down enough to be able to find them."

_Very nice, Weiß.__ Congratulations. _

Ken and Aya looked around the room franticly.

"Who's there?" Aya called.

_I think you already know. That is, unless you have other telepathic friends._

Ken jumped up from his chair. "Schuldig!" he cried. "Show yourself!"

"Alright, then. Do you prefer this?" A nasal voice came from the shadows of the room. Aya and Ken whipped around to find the German there, smirking. Schuldig moved forward to the couch where Omi still lay, now covered by a sheet. He glance down at it and the smirk turned into a smile.

"What a sweet boy he was." He said quietly. He reached down and pulled the sheet off Omi's face. One hand moved to caress the boy's cheek.

_You should've heard him scream._

Ken screamed and launched himself at the other man. He didn't care that he had no weapon. He didn't care that the other man obviously had the advantage. He only cared that Schuldig had touched Omi. That Schuldig had killed Omi, despite what Aya said.

"Actually, your friend was right." Schuldig said, easily dodging Ken's first attack. "Nagi was the only one who could get the knife into the room without any struggle from your young friend. Of course, he didn't want to at first, but a little persuading on my part bent his will." Ken continued to attack blindly while he talked, but was unable to avoid a well-placed punch and it sent him sprawling down by the couch. As Schuldig moved over him, Ken glanced up and managed to hide his surprise. Aya had come up behind Schuldig, wielding his katana. With a feral yell, Aya descended on the German. Schuldich's eyes widened and he moved to dodge. Aya anticipated, however and managed to slash across Schuldig's back. He fell, and Aya immediately descended on him, holding the katana to the man's neck.

"Aya!" Ken called, his eyes wide. He was staring at Omi's prone form. When Schuldig had been surprised, the image of the boy's face had wavered like a soap bubble. Ken was trying to convince himself that he wasn't crazy. "Aya, hurt him again." Aya shrugged and punched Schuldig in the face. His eyes followed Ken's toward Omi. His image flickered and wavered. Aya glanced back down at Schuldig.

"What's going on?" he growled. Schuldig laughed lightly.

"Alright." He said. "You've found me out." A tremor ran through his body and then he went limp. He opened his eyes and it was obvious that he was fatigued. But Ken's eyes were on the figure on the couch. It no longer resembled Omi. In fact, it barely resembled a human. A training dummy lay there. Ken jumped up.

"What…" he cried. Schuldig laughed again.

"Your minds are so easy to trick. I wouldn't think that you would be fooled by a simple over-image. Ah, well, you'd probably find out eventually. The boy's alive."


	3. Good and Love

Hiya! I'm sorry the other chapters got mixed up, ff.net was screwy and wouldn't let me see them. Thank you all for your reviews! They're what keep me going. Thanks, everyone!

_Pray for good and pray for love_

Schuldig chuckled at the shocked look on Aya and Ken's faces.

"Or, at least, he should still be alive." He said, smirking. "Farfello got it into his mind that hurting the poor kid hurts God, and you know how he is. I told him not to kill him, but he does so love the taste of blood…"

Aya pressed the katana against Schuldig's neck. A thin trail of blood appeared beneath the blade.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you now." Aya growled. Schuldig narrowed his eyes a bit.

"Without me you'll have no idea where your little friend is hiding, and I can't promise he'll still be breathing when you find him."

"I hate to admit it, but he's right." Ken said. He was desperately trying to keep himself from hoping that Omi was still alive and failing miserably. He kept imagining his face, his voice, his eyes, vibrant and alive again. He was trying to avoid imaging Farfello, and what he may be doing at that very second.

"Don't kill him, Aya." Ken continued, shaking these thoughts from his head. "Let me get my buknuks and we'll go get Omi. Where is Yohji, by the way? He'll want to know what's going on…"

"He's in his room, probably drunk." Aya muttered. Schuldig laughed. 

"Doesn't care much, does he? Already drinking…" Schuldig smirked. Aya turned to him.

"Your life is in my hands." he growled. "Try that again and see what I do." Ken shook his head and walked out of the room. He walked to Yohji's room and pounded on the door. No one answered. Ken was suddenly assaulted by memories, by vivid images.

Slumped over…terrified…dagger…blood, so much blood…

"Yohji!" Ken cried and slammed himself against the door. It flew open and Ken was greeted by the sight of Yohji sitting on his bed, staring at him.

"Christ, Ken, I was about to get the door." he muttered. Ken blinked.

"Sorry, Yohji, I…"

Yohji waved him off. "S'alright, you saved me the trip. What's up? I heard something going on downstairs."

Ken quickly explained the situation, leaving Yohji wide-eyed. 

"So… our worst enemy is in our house and… Omi's… he's alive?"

Ken couldn't keep the smile off his face as he nodded. 

"He's alive, Yohji. He is."

Yohji bent his head, letting his hair hide his face.

"That kid…" he murmured. "Always something else…" But Ken could hear relief heavily lacing his voice.

"Yeah," Ken nodded. "So come on, get ready. We've gotta go and rescue him."

"Ken." Yohji said in a low voice, still looking down. "When we thought that.. that Omi was dead… I got too upset. I've become too attached. This wasn't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to care about anyone. When did this happen, Ken?"

Ken turned to look at him. "Yohji, I think it's happened to all of us. None of us wanted to care about anyone, not even Omi. But we've won each other over. But, do you mean… the way you care about Omi…"

"As a friend." Yohji said, looking up. "Why, jealous?" He smirked.

"Get ready." Ken muttered. "We're leaving soon."

Aya carefully let Schuldig up, still keeping the katana at his neck. 

"Where is he?" Aya asked. Schuldig shrugged.

"Just an old warehouse at the other end of town." He droned, looking bored. "Can't we go yet? I want to fight. And I want to know how many ribbons that boy has been cut into…"

Aya shoved him against the wall. "Shut up. If Omi isn't alive… He had better be alive." He said, holding Schuldig against the wall. "Why did you come here?"

Schuldig gritted his teeth. "I just wanted to see if you all were buying our cover, which you were."

Aya slammed him against the wall again. "Then why did you reveal it to us with little persuasion?"

Schuldig shrugged again. "Maybe I have a soft spot for the poor kid. Or maybe it had just been too long since we've had a good fight. I dunno." Aya shook his head, disgusted. He glanced up at the stairs, where Aya and Ken were standing, weapons and all. Aya pushed Schuldig towards them. 

"Let's go." he said. "We've already waited too long."


	4. Salvation

_Pray for salvation, pray that we're right_****

Omi opened his eyes to darkness. He was lying on something rather soft, and his arms and legs were bound tightly. He struggled for a moment before calming down and assesing his situation. The last thing he remembered was researching on his computer when someone shoved a cloth in his face. He held his breath as long as possible, but his instincts soon won over and he breathed in the sickly-sweet smell of ether. Omi cursed quietly into the dark room. He had no idea of where he was or who's captured him.He was about to try the strength of the bonds when the door came open and the room was flooded with light. Omi squinted and saw two figures enter, one tall and slender and one muscled and hunched over. Omi drew in his breath sharply when their features became clear. Brad Crawford, smirking, was leading Farfello into the room. 

"Welcome, Bombay. So good of you to join us." Crawford said, walking up to the bed. Omi pushed himself against the wall, distancing himself from the two men.

"What do you want?" he cried. "I won't tell you anything!"

Crawford chuckled mirthlessly. "My dear boy, we don't need information. We need you." He moved forward to grasp Omi's jaw in one hand. Omi snapped his head away from the touch, slamming his head against the wall in the process. Crawford withdrew his hand, shaking his head. 

"Now, now, none of that. We can't have your guinea pig hurting himself, now can we?"

Omi whimpered involuntarily. "Guinea pig?" he whispered. 

"Yes, guinea pig." Crawford continued, turning his back and heading towards the door. "But while we're preparing the experiment, I'll let Farfello play with you." He turned from the doorway to adress Farfello. "You musn't kill him, Farfie." He said, then turned and closed the door. Omi's eyes slowly traveled to the man still remaining in the room. Farfello was smiling evilly at him as he brought a short, sharp knife into view. 

"The smallest Weiß is innocent, like an angel." He said quietly, advancing towards Omi. "Bleeding angels hurt God."

Omi's breathing became ragged and he pressed himself against the wall. Farfello reached for him and easily pushed him down onto his stomach on the bed. He skillfully cut Omi's shirt off without touching the skin beneath. Omi began to tremble as he felt the knife trace two lines on his back.

"Don't be frightened, angel." Farfello said, stroking the back of Omi's head. Omi choked on a sob. "I'm only letting your wings free." With that, Farfello sank his knife into Omi's back in two lines between his shoulder blades. Omi's back arched and his mouth opened in a silent scream. Farfello leaned forward and began licking the blood from the new wounds like a cat with a bowl of milk. Tears ran down Omi's face and his shoulders shook with repressed sobs.

"Help," he whimpered. "Please…"

Crawford lingered outside Omi's door. He glanced behind him as Nagi walked up.

"What're you waiting here for? I thought you had that… experiment to see to." Nagi said without much interest. Crawford shrugged and turned from the door.

"Just wanted to see if he's screaming yet. What are you doing wandering around? Shouldn't you be on the computer or something?"

Nagi turned. "I just thought you should know, Schuldig's gone."

Crawford cursed. "That idiot! He's going to give us away."

Nagi just shrugged and began walking away. When he was out of Crawford's sight his face relaxed into an expression resembling something like relief.


	5. Peace

Wai waaaai! I'm sorry it's been so long! I've been traveling and school started and all that, so I've been distracted and haven't had a chance to write. I'm thinking there are two chapters left and maybe an epilogue, but I dunno. Anyway, I thought I'd respond to y'all's reviews since you were nice enough to give them.

Mikoto the Gnome Girl- Eeeeee! Always a pleasure. Can I exchange a chapter of mine for one of yours?

Kesshi- Thank you! Such a wonderful, helpful, ego-lifting reviewer you are… and just as you complimented me on my fast updating I stopped. Eh heh, gomen yo…

Shy- Yay! I love long reviews! I'm sorry I made your tummy turn, though. Hope the rest helped… ^_^;

Koyuki Aode- Thankie! ::steals pom poms and gives little Japan-fan thingys:: There ya go. And be easy on your monitor, ne? it has feelings too.

OMightyWifeofShinigami- I love and hate you too! ::snugs:: And your multiple personalities scare me. ::shudder:: I hope my fight scene doesn't disappoint you!

Rinny-Tee hee! I enjoyed your not-so-subtle innuendo. But no, I'm afraid I'm a Komi fan. ::pats Nagi::

Shaynie- Thank you! To tell you the truth, I can't wait to see how it turns out either…

Yuki-chan- Yay! Another Omi fan! Well, I'm glad that I restored your happiness to you, though a little concerned that I took it in the first place…

Dagger- Thankie! You know, finishing things isn't my strong point… but I like this story, so I'll try.

Aphrael- ::giggles:: Hmm, I dunno, he might just die yet… ::giggles again:: I love having power!

Anna Maxwell- I wish I had Omi as a little brother! But then would that make me Ouka…? ::confusion::

Deathwing- Well, I was planning on making this a Ken and Omi, but I don't know if it'll work out that way… I dunno about you, but I certainly hope so… ::bounces along::

Strawberry cushion- Gomen gomen! But I can't go without shonen ai on Weiß, I just can't! ::whines:: It's not possible! Sorry, but thanks for the review, and keep reading, it may turn out that you like shonen ai after all…

Okay, after that long ::looks up:: looong thingy there, I'd say it's time to get on with the fic.

**Chapter 5**

_Pray for peace and pray it's enough_****

Ken looked up at the large where house. It didn't particularly look like the headquarters of their enemy, but of course, he didn't particularly look like a deadly assassin, so he didn't let his eyes deceive him. Aya was leading the way, holding Schuldig in front of him, katana to his neck.

"All right, boys, this is where the fun really begins." Schuldig said, smirking, and escaped from under Aya's katana faster than they could follow. He appeared in front of them, leaning on the wall of the where house. "I told you, I was only in this for a good fight, and this is where that part of the bargain begins. Follow me, please." He knocked lightly on the door and almost immediately Nagi answered and moved aside to let Schuldig and Weiß in.

"I'm needed elsewhere," the boy then said quietly and left the large, sparsely furnished room they had entered. Schuldig glared after the boy a moment before turning to the others in the room.

"Excuse me while I find a fighting partner." he said and closed his eyes, mentally calling the rest of Scharz.

_Oi__! I found some toys! Someone come play with me!_

Crawford's voice echoed in his head.

_You idiot! The experiment is nearing it's crucial point. Leave me alone and keep those fools away from here. They cannot find the boy now._

Crawford abruptly put up mental walls and blocked Schuldig from his head. Shrugging, Schuldig moved to Nagi.

_Oi__, brat…_

_No, Schuldig, Crawford's making me help him._

Schuldig chuckled in the pouting tone in Nagi's thoughts and with a grin turned to Farfello.

Ken watched Schuldig warily. If they could only get away… he jumped a little when Yohji tapped his shoulder. 

"Go on, Ken," the older man said in a barely audible whisper. "Aya and I'll distract him. Just get past and find Omi."

Ken drew in his breath. He knew that Aya and Yohji probably weren't a match for Schuldig, let alone with whoever was coming to help. But then his mind drifted to Omi. He thought of the boy as he had last seen him, pale and limp in his arms. He turned toward Yohji and nodded. Yohji smiled slightly.

"Find him, Ken. We'll be fine." he whispered. Ken nodded again and began inching towards the door which Nagi had exited to a few moments before. Yohji and Aya began approaching Schuldig, weapons held ready. When they descended on the telepath, Ken broke into a sprint towards the door. Schuldig snapped back into reality and blocked the two assassins, seeing Ken out of the corner of his eye. Aya and Yohji continued to attack, preventing him from stopping Ken. With one last look at his teammates, Ken flew through the door and slammed it shut behind him. He looked up and down the hallway he'd entered and froze. Farfello was walking down the hall, staring straight at him. Ken shuddered. Blood covered the other man's mouth and dripped down his chin. Ken drew back past the door, readying his bugnuks. He crouched into a fighting position as he watched Farfello approach him and the door. When he reached the door, the amber-eyed man grinned at him, opened the door, and slipped inside. Ken let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, his breath caught. Whose blood had that been? Holding down panic, he ran in the direction from which Farfello had come.

'Please…' he thought, praying to something he couldn't name, 'Please don't let me be too late.'

"Damn!" Yohji cursed as his wire bounced harmlessly off the wall. Schuldig smirked.

"Don't you get it?" he asked. "You can never win!"

A look of grim determination crossed Yohji's face. They weren't there to win. They were there to retrieve Omi and leave. He glanced at Aya, who was currently dancing around Farfello's mad dagger swings. With a small gasp he realized that the dagger had blood dripping off of it. Looking Aya up and down, he could see nothing worse than a few nicks. He shook his head. He had no time to wonder where it came from now. 

While he was distracted, Schuldig approached Yohji and punched him square in the jaw. Yohji was thrown to the floor and he cursed again as he tried to focus his blurring eyes.

'Hurry, Ken…'

Aya jumped back as Farfello lunged at him with his dagger. The madman's movements were too eccentric to predict, so Aya was simply left to dodge and occasionaly swing his katana. Even when he hit Farfello it didn't make a difference, the man was immune to pain. Aya was momentarily distracted by the sound of flesh slamming into flesh and he glanced over just in time to see Yohji hit the floor, looking dazed. Turning his gaze back to the fight in front of him, Aya's eyes widened as they registered Farfello jumping towards him, knife outstretched. Aya swung his katana up to meet him, and the impact of the sword on the knife shook his arm. With a quiet growl, Aya returned all of his attention to the fight at hand.

Ken smiled grimly. This had to be it. He'd approached a door made of some kind of metal that locked from the outside. Examining it, he was surprised to see that it was unlocked. Maybe Farfello had forgotten to lock it… or maybe he was just walking into a trap. Ken slowly opened the door and cautiously entered the room. For a moment it was pitch black. His eyes slowly adjusted and he could make out a cot in the corner with blood stains covering it. There was no one there. He was too late.


	6. The Same as Me

Uhm, sorry that all these chapters are so short, all! I don't mean for them to be, really, they just end up that way…

**Chapter 6**

_And you're the same as me  
You breathe the air I breathe   
And we don't understand  
Yeah, we don't understand._****

Omi had stopped struggling. After Farfello finished with the wounds on his back, he'd moved up.

"You taste good," the madman had whispered in his ear, and without any other warning he had descended onto Omi's shoulder and sunk his teeth into the soft flesh there. With a scream, Omi had stiffened and then gone limp, unable or unwilling to fight anymore. When Farfello flipped him over and traced the lines of his abdominal muscles with the knife, Omi remained silent, dull blue eyes staring up emptily. After an indeterminable length of time, Omi vaguely sensed that Farfello had stopped. Glancing up, he came face to face with one amber eye. Farfello ran his tongue across Omi's jaw line.

"Don't fly away, angel." he heard, and then watched as Farfello left the room. The sound of the door locking echoed through the room. Unconsciously, his body curled into the fetal position. Tears slipped past his closed eyelids and were absorbed into the bed beneath him. He could feel the weakness of shock and blood loss set in, and he gratefully surrendered to a dreamless and painless sleep.

"No… no, please…"

Crawford grimaced and shook the boy violently. Blurry eyes opened.

'No, I don't want to wake up, I don't want to…'

Crawford dragged him roughly out of the bed.

"There's no time for this. Get up."

Omi stumbled along behind him as the left the room and walked quickly down the hall.

"Where…" Omi began, but with a glance he could tell that Crawford was in no mood to answer questions. Omi stumbled forward, almost hitting the ground, when something lifted him back up and pushed him onward. With a start, Omi realized that Nagi was walking behind them. Blinking back the stinging in his eyes, Omi continued on, well aware that he could not possibly escape with both Nagi and Crawford watching him. After some time they reached a door. Crawford opened it and shoved Omi inside. Omi froze. In the middle of the room was a metal operating table, complete with shackles to secure hands and feet. Along one side of the wall was a row of cabinets. A counter was on another wall, and it was covered in syringes and unidentified chemicals. Omi turned to run from the room, which smelled of rubbing alcohol, but his wrist was caught by Crawford, who violently turned his weakened form around again to face the operating table.

"Get on the table." he said roughly, pulling Omi towards the center of the room. Omi began to panic, pulling back towards the door and whimpering. Crawford growled.

"Nagi…" he began. Nagi nodded and with an apathetic look he levitated Omi up and onto the table, where he held him down. "Secure him," Crawford continued, turning to the counter and beginning to prepare things. Nagi locked Omi's feet down first, then moved to his hands. Omi was still attempting to struggle, but when he caught Nagi's eyes he stopped, seeing some foreign emotion there. Pity? Compassion?

"Help me…please…" Omi whimpered, encouraged by that look. Nagi blinked at him, looking slightly surprised, then suddenly turned around. 

"Shuldig's here." he muttered, and hurried out of the room. Crawford whipped around. 

"What?" he cried. Seeing Nagi was gone, he threw an empty beaker to the floor, smashing it. Omi flinched, pulling at his restraints. Crawford walked over to him, holding a syringe. He was muttering angrily, and he pushed Omi's arm down to keep it still. He roughly stabbed the needle into Omi's upper arm. Omi cried out loudly. He began to struggle again, but he could see the room blurring and spinning in front of his eyes. With another weak cry, his eyes slid shut and he went limp on the table.

Ken's breathing had become shallow. He was leaning against the wall outside the empty room, his eyes closed. Panic and anger still welled up inside of him, but he could also feel another emotion settling at the bottom of his stomach- despair. Sighing quietly, he pushed himself off the wall and opened his eyes. He looked down the hallway he was in. There was still a ways to go until the end. He began down the hallway again at the same speed, looking around him. Suddenly, he stopped. There were quiet footsteps behind him. Spinning around, he found himself face to face with Nagi, who looked nonplussed. 

"Keep going." the boy said. "He's in the last room on the right. You might want to hurry." Ken looked at him, wide-eyed, before he felt a shove forward. Nagi continued to stare at him. "Hurry."

Shaking his head, Ken turned and ran down the hallway in the direction Nagi had indicated. With a quick glance back, he could see that Nagi was no longer in the hallway. He turned his eyes back in front of him, to the door, the last right in the hallway. He had more important things to worry about now. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door. 

Omi lay spread-eagle on a metal operating table in the center of the room. He was wearing only the sweatpants he'd worn to bed the night before. A couple large bruises were forming on his face. His stomach had lines of crusted blood covering it. A bite mark on his shoulder and a fresh wound on his upper arm were bleeding. His head lolled over to one side, eyes closed and chest moving only slightly to indicate that he was alive. Crawford stood over him, holding a needle in one hand and a scalpel in the other. There were marks on Omi's forehead and cheeks and around his neck.

Ken's deep breath came out as a cough and he held his hand to his mouth to keep from being sick. Rage bubbled up inside him and he lunged towards Crawford, claws outstretched. Crawford turned around, anticipating, and jumped back. He snarled at Ken.

"You'll ruin everything!" he cried and swung out to punch Ken. Ken stumbled back from the blow, then attacked again. 

"What've you done to Omi?" he yelled, jumping towards the other man. Crawford avoided him again.

"Nothing, yet, and you are the only thing standing in the way of my experiment." Ken's eyes widened.

"Experiment?" He then noticed the chemicals lining the wall on the counter. His eyes flickered back to Omi's prone form, then to Crawford. "What have you done to him?" he asked again, approaching the other man threateningly.

"I told you, nothing." Crawford said, not backing away. "And I'd like to get on with it if you don't mind…"

Ken smiled slightly. "I don't think so…" He quickly turned from Crawford and jumped towards the counter, smashing all the glasses full of chemicals. Crawford jerked and ran to the counter, attempting to save what was left. While he was distracted, Ken ran to the table in the center of the room. He pried open the restraints with little trouble and lifted Omi into his arms. Without a glance back, he ran out of the room and into the hallway. He jumped when he saw Nagi leaning against the wall near him. The boy nodded at him.

"Hurry." he said quietly. "Get him out." Ken hesitated, then looked at the boy.

"Thank you…" he said. "Without you I wouldn't have-"

"Go!" Nagi interrupted him. "Before it's too late!"

Ken could feel himself being pushed down the hall, so he turned and began running for the exit. Behind him he could hear pounding and he had a feeling that Nagi was keeping Crawford at bay. Ken flung open the door to the main room and ran through, ignoring the fighting going on around him.

"Let's go!" he yelled. 

Yohji landed a solid kick to Schuldig's midsection and turned, running after Ken. Aya thrust his katana forward, keeping Farfello at a distance, and followed his teammates. They reached their car and Yohji jumped over the door and settled into the driver's seat, starting the car. Aya slid into the passenger seat, and Ken sat in the back, Omi draped across his lap. The car pulled away from the warehouse with a screech of tires. Schuldig appeared at the door. He smirked and shook his head. Nagi walked up behind him. Inside, Farfello licked his knife.

Ken shook Omi's shoulders lightly.

"Omi?" he asked quietly. The boy remained unresponsive. Aya turned to face them.

"What are his injuries?"

Ken gently lifted Omi to examine him. His breath drew in sharply at the sight of the lines of blood crusting on his back.

"Nothing… too bad. Two deep cuts on his back, a bite wound we'll need to clean, and shallow cuts along his stomach. He's also had some kind of drug put in him, I'm hoping it's just a sedative…"

Aya nodded, his glance flickering down to Omi before he turned back to face the road.

"What about you guys?" Ken asked, settling Omi back down. 

Aya shrugged. "Nothing serious." he said. Yohji sighed.

"I took a couple good blows to the face, but I'll be fine." he said, his speech slurring a little. Ken blinked in concern.

"Should you be driving?" he asked quickly. Yohji laughed.

"We'll be fine as long as my eyes don't start swelling up…" He jerked the wheel and the car swerved to the edge of the road.

"Yohji!" Ken started. Aya reached over and pushed the wheel straight.

"What?" Yohji asked. "Just trying to lighten the mood…"

Ken rolled his eyes, but a small smile crept onto his face. Relief had begun washing over him in waves. Omi was alive, not seriously injured (though probably weakened from blood loss), and resting in his arms. For the first time that day, Ken relaxed. Everything was going to be all right. 


	7. Why Can't We See

**Chapter 7**

****

_And when we look why can't we see  
All the riches that are free_****

****

Ken sighed.

"Aya, go get the first aid kit." He said. Aya left.

"Does he have to be on this couch?" Yohji asked, running his hand through his hair. Ken blinked. It was true, that was the same couch on which he'd lain Omi's body hours earlier. Ken leaned over and felt Omi's neck. There was still a pulse. He sighed again.

"Let's take him to his room." He said quietly. Yohji nodded and picked the boy up. Ken turned away, trying to avoid looking at the limp body. They passed Aya in the hallway and motioned for him to follow. They entered Omi's room and Ken's eyes automatically traveled to the computer desk, no longer bloody. He turned away. That must've been an illusion as well. Yohji had placed Omi down on his bed and was leaned over him, his eyes wide.

"Omi?" he breathed. Slowly, as if it pained him, Omi opened his eyes. Ken rushed over to the bedside and leaned over Yohji. Omi blinked slowly, then opened his mouth and closed it again. 

"What- what's going on?" he asked quietly. Ken knelt beside the bed and smiled a little. 

"You're home, Omi. We came and got you." He unconsciously ran his fingers across Omi's hand. "We're going to fix you up and you'll be good as new." 

Omi's eyes flittered around a moment more before fluttering closed again. 

"Omi!" Yohji cried, starting forward.

"Leave him." Aya said calmly. "He just needs to rest." He moved forward and pressed between Yohji and Ken. He reached down and began gently drawing a wet rag over the lines of blood on Omi's chest. Omi whimpered and tried to pull away. Ken moved forward. 

"I'll do it, Aya." He said, watching as Omi turned from Aya. "Someone needs to contact Manx." Aya looked up at Ken, then down at Omi, and wordlessly handed the rag to Ken. He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Ken walked over and inspected the bite wound.

"Could you get me some peroxide, Yohji?" Ken asked, gently poking at the wound, which was all ready becoming red and inflamed. Yohji nodded and went to Omi's bathroom. Ken knelt and began gently swabbing the blood off Omi's chest. Omi cringed, but soon became still again. Yohji returned with the peroxide and Ken's eyes narrowed in concern when he stumbled. 

"Yohji…" he began, "You're hurt too. Go on downstairs and you and Aya tend to yourselves. I've got it covered here."

Yohji opened his mouth, looking as if he wanted to protest, but thought better of it. "Thanks," he said, and left the room.

Ken turned back to Omi.

"Omi…" he said quietly. Omi stayed still on the bed. "I… I wish I could've been there. I'm sorry, Omi. You didn't deserve this." Ken looked down and poured some peroxide onto a cloth. He gently applied it to the bite wound. The peroxide bubbled and Omi hissed and tried to pull away again. Ken reached up and held him down. Omi's eyes flew open and he tried to pull away from Ken. He was whimpering low in his throat and his eyes flickered from side to side.

"Omi!" Ken called. Omi stopped moving for a moment and stared at Ken, his chest heaving.

"K- Ken…" Omi began, breathing hard. "I can't see. I can't see anything." Ken's eyes widened and he passed his hand in front of Omi's face. His eyes didn't follow, and now that he was looking, Omi's eyes looked blank and pale. Ken's heart began beating faster.

"Stay right here, Omi," Ken said, "Don't move. I'll be right back." Omi nodded and closed his eyes again. With a start, Ken realized it didn't matter. He turned and nearly ran out of the room. He could hear low voices coming from Aya's room, so he quickly knocked and opened the door. Aya had his shirt off and Yohji was swabbing at his wounds. They looked up expectantly.

"Omi's blind." Ken said, surprised at the confidence in his voice.

"What?!" Yohji cried, standing up. "What do you mean?" Ken shook his head.

"He just told me. We've got to talk to Schwartz again." He said. Aya nodded.

"I'll contact Kritikar." He said, and walked out of the room. 

"Is he… is he all right?" Yohji asked Ken quietly. Ken shrugged.

"He seemed a little shook up." They began walking back to Omi's room when they heard a loud crash. They ran ahead and Ken burst into the room, looking around frantically. 

"Omi?" he called.

"Ken?" Came a small voice from the corner. "I'm here." Ken looked over and saw Omi on his hands and knees near an overturned box. He ran to him and helped pick him up and walk him to the bed. 

"Sorry," Omi said quietly. "I wondered where you were and I went to look for you, but I guess I got a bit disoriented."

"It's okay," Ken said, patting Omi's hand gently. "Just don't try it again so soon, all right?" Omi nodded. In a few moments, Yohji was joined at the doorway by Aya. 

"I called Kritikar." He said. "They're looking for Schwartz, and they said that Omi could come by for blood tests at any time. I told them that he may want to take some rest and go tomorrow."

Ken smiled at Aya's thoughtfulness as Omi nodded in agreement. 

"Listen," Ken said, standing up. "I'm going to stay in here tonight if it's okay with Omi, so if one of you could get my sleeping bag and pillow, that would be great." Yohji nodded and left the room. Aya hesitated at the door. 

"Good night." He said. "Good to have you home, Omi."

"Thank you, Aya." Omi said softly. "Good night."

"Night." Ken said, and Aya walked out. Yohji returned in a bit with the sleeping bag and pillow, and while Ken set them up he walked to the bed.

"Sweet dreams, chibi." He said, ruffling Omi's hair. "See you in the morning."

"Aa. Sweet dreams, Yohji."

Yohji gave Omi's hand a quick squeeze before leaving.

"If you need anything tonight, just call me, okay?" Ken asked. "I'm on the floor right beside you." He kissed the top of Omi's head and tucked the covers in around him. "Good night, Omittchi. Pleasant dreams."

Omi smiled slightly at him. "You're so motherly, Ken-kun." Ken laughed and cuffed Omi lightly across the side of his head. 

"This is what I get when I try to help…"

Omi laughed quietly, then yawned. "G'night, Ken-kun."

"Night."

Ken tossed and turned for a few minutes, thinking. He felt like he hadn't slept in days, yet his mind just kept turning over the facts. The relief he had felt only a few hours earlier still lingered on the edge of his mind, and with it the relief of hearing Omi's voice and seeing his smile. However, a new panic was rising in him- the fear that Omi would be forever changed by this night, and he could do nothing to stop it. The thought of Omi living the rest of his life blind was disturbing, and the thought that the chemical put into his system had only begun to work was downright frightening. Ken frowned and tried to put a nice thought in his mind. He concentrated on the look of Omi's smile and the way he said 'Ken-kun,' but could not stop the image of Omi spread eagle and bleeding on a medical table from entering his mind. Ken pulled his sleeping bag tighter around his shoulders and sank into a fitful sleep.

A couple of hours later, Ken woke up suddenly to the sound of muted whimpers from the bed beside him. He jumped up immediately and looked down at Omi. The boy was crying into his pillow. Ken reached down and touched his uninjured shoulder. Omi yelped and recoiled against the wall, his eyes wide and unseeing. Ken realized his mistake.

"It's me, Omi! It's just Ken."

Omi sighed and slumped back onto the bed. He tried to hide his face from Ken by pressing it into the mattress. Ken reached down and took Omi's hand.

"What is it?" he asked, though he felt it was a stupid question. 

"I'm so scared, Ken. I feel so helpless, like I wouldn't know if I was back there or not. I can- I can still feel him on top of me, that madman…" Omi began to sob softly. Ken lowered himself on the bed and began to stroke Omi's hair. 

"It's okay, Omi, I'm here. I won't let them take you again. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

Omi cried quietly into the mattress for a few more moments until his tears dissipated. He leaned his head against Ken.

"Promise you'll stay with me, Ken."

"I'll stay with you as long as you'll have me." Ken said quietly, gazing down at Omi.

"I'll have you forever. Sleep with me tonight, Ken." Omi said sleepily. Ken's eyes widened, then he relaxed and smiled.

"All right." He said, and joined Omi under the covers. They lay facing each other, Ken holding Omi's hands lightly in between them. "You'll be all right, Omi. I know you will be."

Omi murmured something unintelligible back. Ken smiled. "Sweet dreams…"

He waited and listened until Omi's breath became deep and even before leaning forward and burying his face in Omi's hair. He breathed in his scent and was appalled to find it tainted by the dirty smell of Schwartz, Farfello in particular. He kissed Omi's hair lightly and felt a tear run down his face.

"I love you, Omi."


End file.
